The 2018 Nissan Leaf was ready for its close-up, but didn’t count on a Norwegian tourist peering through a hotel window.
Photos have emerged of a completely uncamouflaged next-generation Leaf spotted in Barcelona, Spain, apparently while in the midst of filming a commercial. The photos, sent to Norway’s TV2 television channel (Norway does love its EVs…), show the unclothed Leaf wearing a far more appealing body than that of its predecessor.
Still sporting a hatchback bodystyle, the 2018 Leaf boasts a number of advancements Nissan has slowly and carefully dripped to the media over the past few months. Head office won’t be happy to see these pics.
Gone is the first-generation Leaf’s bulbous body and fishlike face, replaced by a (vertically) slimming black roof — a motif that extends all of the way down the A-pillars and partly down the C-pillar — and a corporate front end treatment. Relatively flat bodysides and a strongly sculpted rear bumper suggests to the viewer that this vehicle needs all the aerodynamic help it can get. Less drag equals more range, whatever the figure ends up being.
We’ll learn the full range of specs when the Leaf officially debuts on September 6th. Given the state of the electric car marketplace, a range of at least 200 miles is a necessity. We’ve heard the 250 figure tossed about as a possible driving radius; certainly, whatever Nissan has planned will undoubtedly blow the current Leaf’s 107-mile range out of the water. In the little hatchback’s sights are the similar Chevrolet Bolt and sedan-only Tesla Model 3.
The upgraded model will also feature Nissan’s ProPilot Assist semi-autonomous driving system, which handles the driving duties in a variety of scenarios. No, it’s not a fully self-driving car, but Tesla-style updates should follow its release.
One unique feature found on the 2018 model is Nissan’s e-Pedal, which allows for single-pedal driving. While Nissan assures us there’s still a brake pedal, the vehicle’s strong regenerative braking allows drivers to slow, stop, and hold the vehicle on an incline just by letting off the accelerator.
For Nissan, the new Leaf can’t arrive soon enough. While the model isn’t a big money maker for the brand, no automaker wants its former technology champ sitting on the sidelines, muscles atrophied, wheezing. Perhaps due to falling prices and hard-to-pass-up local deals, the Leaf has posted 10 consecutive months of year-over-year sales gains in the U.S.
[Images: TV2.no]
Man, they gotta miniaturize that camera.
How else do you expect to get those 8k selfies.
True.
That sucker is uglier than I hoped it would be.
at least it looks better than the current jelly bean….
True
i know i am late to the party but damn does every auto maker have to make rearward visibility so bad? i mean i know it is a cheap way to make users pay for the blind spot monitor but enough is enough…
Major bitterness over this issue as well J-PS. Is glass too expensive? Are regulations responsible for this? It is really nice to be able to see out of your car.
This car has been in GTA for some time, and is called the Emperor Habanero.
https://cs3.gtaall.com/screenshots/4dc09/2016-10/original/44c8b485ec5b3b6c3f0d07cda3935bf007fc8bc5/362489-gta-sa-2016-10-28-22-26-43-34.jpg
:)
The other car in the photos has the latest autonomous driving sensor array.
This wins the Internet.
Nissan needs to delay the launch of the Leaf until it has ensured that it can be charged from an empty to a full battery in a maximum of 5 minutes, that it has a driving range comparable with a petrol or diesel car, and that its sticker price is competitive in the marketplace. If Nissan fails to fix one or more of those problems, the world would be better off if the entire project was shelved.
I think they should stop making ICE cars until they figure out how to give them the range of a Boeing 787 and refuel in 5 milliseconds from an empty tank. Hey, what if I want to drive from Normandy to Irkutsk? Just stop making them until they get the problem fixed. Oh, and it’s gotta have a V-12 and cost $20,000. Otherwise, they should shelve them. If they can’t do that, the world will be better off without them.
Touché!
Local dealers here are advertising $48 X24 month lease for the Leaf in Puget Sound. Kirkland Nissan has the $48 a month offer with $3991 down. Burien Nissan is advertising $79 a month X24 with $3200 down.
Looks like a Bolt.
.
.
Yes. Much suck.
Prius does sexy time with Bolt. Produce Leaf.
Very impressive looking film SUV vehicle. Does anyone know the make and model?
Agreed, the camera vehicle looks nice. VW?
2nd Gen Mercedes ML – I think they’re one of the more common camera cars (along with the Cayenne).
The black ML looks bad ass but of course a John Frankenheimer shot vehicle looks cool.
Also the Leaf looks like an EU Micra which is cool as far as sub compacts go.
Its not Model 3 cool but its ok.
I like the Micra.
Those non-stock fender flares on the ML look pretty awkward.
Second-generation Mercedes ML63 AMG.
Looks better than the current version. I guess that’s not saying much.
This is not the EV we want.
More like it’s not the charging network we want. I think they’ll price it below the Model 3, so it will probably be a good deal. But that damned lame-ass charging network they have doesn’t compare with the Supercharger Network. For example. Boch Nissan of Norwood MA CHAdeMO charger has been down since at least November of last year. They’re not lifting a finger to fix it and Nissan does nothing to prod them into fixing it. Many other dealers like to use their charging spaces as parking spaces for new or used cars.
By the way, Nissan headquarters told me that they expect to have cars available by March of 2018. Didn’t ask if it was the rumored 40 kWh hour cars or the bigger 60 kWh battery.
Come on dooooooowwwwwwwwnnnnn! Ernie Boch Jr, everything you’re looking for!*
*Except leaf charging, because fuck that profit such. Did I mention I paid the original band Boston to be part of the Automatics? – Ernie Boch Jr.
I’d be interested to try out the e-Pedal – I’ve done a bit of one-pedal driving in a Bolt, so I’m not sure if it’s actually a unique feature, or Nissan is just the first to really try and promote it. Other than that, it looks like a perfectly conventional hatchback.
Even the current Leaf has a lightweight version of e-Pedal – B Mode. The difference is that it won’t bring the car to a complete stop unless you’re going up hill.
All cars should be offered with “crane on the roof” as an option.
“Head office won’t be happy to see these pics.”
I’m sure head office would easily PAY for pics to get “leaked” if it would build hype. The only reason they might not like these pics is because they’re not high-res and from the wrong angles.
This car is a day late and a dollar short.
Many former Leaf leaseholders like me have been waiting for the Model 3 or Bolt, seeking a better overall experience than Leaf 1.0 offered.
A big question that Nissan is dodging: battery thermal management. If it’s air-only, forget it.
The only way Nissan is going to move this car is if it’s a price champ.
From what I’ve read, SCE, “price champ” is a big goal of Nissan. I am looking to lease one when they are available if I can get it about 300 a month, no money down. I think the Bolt is a good car, but too small and, in my opinion, butt-ugly. I will have to see the Leaf in person. Maybe it is just as tiny as the Bolt.